Mini provides the best clues yet to the appearance, size, interior layout and mechanical makeup of its upcoming small SUV at next month's Detroit auto show with the latest in a long line of production-based concept cars named the Beachcomber.

The flamboyantly styled off-roader borrows directly from Mini's upcoming Countryman, its new four-wheel drive planned to go on sale in North America in 2011. It shares key elements of the Countryman's four-door steel body and four-seat interior together with its turbocharged 1.6-liter engine and newly conceived four-wheel-drive underpinnings.

Inspired by Mini's legendary Moke--a simple but robust, go-anywhere version of the original Alec Issigonis-engineered Mini produced in small numbers between 1964 and 1968--the Beachcomber is not only being used to preview Mini's new urban off-roader, but also to explore design ideas that could find their way onto future derivatives of the Countryman, which is set to get its first public outing at the Geneva motor show next March.

“It's an ideas car that, depending on the sort of feedback we receive, may have a bearing on a future Mini production car,” Mini design boss Gerd Hildebrandt says of the Beachcomber. “It's based on our upcoming SUV, but we've injected some added fun and off-road ability into it that we think could appeal to a certain type of Mini customer.”

Central to the Beachcomber's appeal are pillarless body sides and the lack of any real doors or central roof panel--a layout that takes from the Moke and aims to place the driver and passengers closer to the action. The new Mini also features a series of fabric and composite panels that clip into place to provide occupants with protection from the elements.

Despite giving the Beachcomber open-air appeal, it is clear the open body design would be hard to produce given today's tough safety regulations. Although Mini is renowned for producing rigidly structured cars, it would also require some major modifications to the floorpan. Still, Mini officials do not rule out the possibility of the upcoming Countryman receiving a full-length fabric roof arrangement such as that featured on the new concept car as optional equipment when it goes on sale.

Along with the open body, the design of the Beachcomber also places a big emphasis on off-road ability with generous ground clearance, cladding within the wheel arches and lower body sides, sturdy kick plates front and rear and 17-inch wheels shod with chunky tires clearly suited more for churning through mud than whisking you down the street. Further enhancing the go-anywhere ambitions are traditionally short overhangs, which help provide excellent approach and departure angles.

Concept-car flourishes aside, the Beachcomber's exterior styling combines the retro-inspired appearance of the existing Cooper with a more technically orientated approach that Hildebrandt says will become more and more evident on upcoming Mini models. Eschewing the current trend toward edgy detailing and taut surfacing--as exemplified by parent company BMW's newly introduced X1--the exterior flaunts an almost old-fashioned roundness, most notably within the front wheel arches, that is enhanced by modern detailing as seen in the unusual shape and positioning of the headlamps, taken from the Countryman in unchanged form.

Traditional cues include a negative radius grille and wraparound glass. Despite the apparent similarities with its existing siblings, however, the Detroit show car is much bolder and considerably larger than any Mini model before it. A body-colored grille, distinctively shaped headlamps and a high-set clamshell-style hood dominate the front end. The car also boasts a more heavily raked windscreen, a higher beltline and far greater ride height than any other Mini model. The side-opening tailgate mirrors that of Mini's early Cross concept shown at last year's Paris motor show and, in keeping with the robust nature of the Beachcomber, supports a spare wheel, although it will be replaced on the Countryman by a conventional hatchback.

At 160.2 inches long, the Beachcomber is 5.3 inches longer than Clubman, to date the longest Mini model to be put into production. It also rides on a wheelbase that is 2.3 inches longer than the Clubman's at 102.6 inches. The increased dimensions might call into question the relevance of the Mini name sitting up front on the hood and projected in oversized form upon the spare-wheel carrier at the rear, but they have also provided scope for a roomy four-seat interior with individual sliding rear seats and a generously sized trunk.

The dashboard with its large central monitor and toggle switches, and seats with their rounded forms, mirror the themes established in other Mini models. In keeping with the Beachcomber's apparent ruggedness and open-air design, it receives rubber floor mats and neoprene upholstery for the seats. However, they will be replaced by more conventional trim on production versions of the Countryman, which will be produced at Magna in Austria rather than Mini's traditional manufacturing plant in Oxford, England.

What's underneath?

Mini is not giving away too much about the mechanical makeup of the Beachcomber prior to its unveiling in Detroit next month. However, officials confirm that the concept shares elements of its steel body, four-seat interior, driveline and chassis with the upcoming Countryman.

The latest Mini concept car sits on a version of the Clubman's platform that has been stretched and widened to create a car that is roughly the same size as the new Volkswagen Polo. It's a layout that will be used underneath the Countryman and possibly on a more off-road-oriented version of the new Countryman, drawing on the more rugged appeal of the Beachcomber.

The driveline consists of a transversely mounted engine that provides drive to all four wheels through an electronically controlled multiplate clutch system similar to that used in the new BMW X1, dubbed ALL4, and a six-speed manual gearbox.

While Mini is not making big noises about the engine used in its new concept car, AutoWeek can confirm that the Countryman will be sold with 1.6-liter engines exclusively at the start of sales and come with the choice of four-wheel and front-wheel drive.

The appearance of a sizeable air duct within the Beachcomer's hood hints to a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder gasoline unit, most likely the 175-hp engine found in the Cooper and the Clubman S.

Other engines likely to make their way into the Countryman include a base 120-hp naturally aspirated version of the same 1.6-liter engine as well as a 110-hp 1.6-liter common-rail diesel, all featuring standard stop/start and brake-energy regeneration.

Later on, Mini is expected to ramp up performance with a range of new turbocharged 2.0-liter gasoline and diesel engines.